I am creating this project in memory of my husband, Ronald William Luque, whose life was profoundly impacted by Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)—a disease that gradually takes away the ability to communicate, while leaving so much of the person still present.

 

I lived this journey with him for nearly nine years. What began as PPA evolved into Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) and later Primary Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Along the way, I witnessed something that is not often understood: while words became harder, his thoughts, emotions, and identity remained. He was still there. Too often, these conditions are simply labeled as “dementia,” which unintentionally diminishes the dignity and awareness of what individuals are truly experiencing.

 

Throughout our twenty years together, Ron and I shared a deep love for live music. After spending over 25 years as a professional photographer, I often found solace listening to late-night jazz. In Ron’s professional life organizing corporate events, he loved hiring and supporting live musicians.

 

As his condition progressed, we dreamed of hosting a small in-home concert for him, though it sadly never came to be. After my husband passed, the musicians whose lives he had touched came together at his memorial to fulfill that dream. What was meant to be a brief tribute became something extraordinary—music filled the room continuously for nearly four hours.

 

In that moment, it became clear: Music could still speak where words could not.